Chapter 2- Been in Berlin
by CLAPPS
Summary: This is Chapter 2 of the continuance of Forrest Gump.


"It's the exact year of 1989. It was Forrest Jr.'s birthday day fore' today. He's now about five years old. We were driving to a restaurant and he said, 'Mom, what are condoms?' Turns out he saw a big sign that said _CONDOS_. It was funny. He sometimes says things that don't sound the smartest. Mama always told me, _Stupid is as Stupid Does._ Forrest Jr. only says _stupid_ things sometimes because he's a little boy. He's actually very smart. Smartest boy I know. That's all I have to say bout' that. We're doing something real excitin' today….going to Europe. Saw a commercial saying we should travel to Europe last year. Jenny always wanted to travel. So that's what we gon' do. The plane leaves in a couple hours. _Signed_, Forrest. Forrest Gump."

Forrest's fingers touched the cracked leather and, once again, enclosed his thoughts. He slightly bent his knees and threw the journal like a Frisbee into an open suitcase. A _soft thud_ was made when the brown cracked leather landed on a soft blue shirt in the suitcase. It was as if the clothes were there to cushion and absorb the precious journal. Forrest quickly skipped over to close the small suitcase. His fingers grasped the brown handle and out the door he went. Forrest Jr., and Jenny were staring anxiously in the hallway.

"DAD. Are you almost ready? We're waiting by the door. Daaaaadd," Forrest Jr. mumbled in a whiny voice.

The moment Forrest walked out, their faces lite up and they all joyfully and excitedly trotted out the front door together. A huge _slam_ of the door was followed by a quiet _click_ of the lock being turned. Walking side by side they began their journey: Forrest with a simple, small brown suitcase, Jenny with a large floral suitcase, and Forrest Jr. with a small Pac-Man suitcase.

. . .

Forrest Jr.'s stomach felt as if they were moving up and down just as the turbulence of the plane was as it was descending. His face was pale and his little eyebrows were curled into an uneasy position. Jenny had her arms wrapped around him.

"It'll be okay baby. Look we're almost there. I know it's bumpy, but we'll be on the ground in no time," she was caressing and patting his head just as she had when he was a baby. "Look! We're landing. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Then we'll be on the ground."

Just as the wheels touched the ground, Forrest Jr. could breathe again. His anxiety and nausea was instantly released from his body once he deeply exhaled a sigh of relief.

Walking through airport side by side, with suitcases in hand, Forrest Jr. was constantly turning his head out of curiosity just like he had in New York City. This time, Jenny and Forrest were doing it too. All signs were in German. They whizzed by others walking and heard the language spoken in a strong and foreign tongue. This was the first time their ears and eyes had been exposed to German, and it was obvious to the common passerby.

"Mommy. What are they saying?" Forrest Jr. whispered with great concern and wide eyes.

"They speak a different language than us, honey. It's called German. We're in Germany. They communicate just like we do, but they do it in a different way. Isn't it wonderful?" Jenny crouched down and whispered in his ear in a singy song voice.

"German, huh? WOW. I want to talk like them." Forrest Jr. exclaimed as if he was full of sunshine and was releasing all of it with excitement and joy. His eyes twinkled and he was consumed with happiness and joy.

Their adventure began in Berlin. Hotel rates were extremely inexpensive because of the riots and issues between the government and the people of East and West Berlin. It was not a hotspot on the tourism list at the time. Forrest was unaware of what was going on in Berlin and he booked the cheapest room he could find in all of Europe. That was in Berlin.

The disposition of Forrest Jr., Jenny, and Forrest while strolling down the streets of Berlin was no different than hours earlier in the airport. They could see the culture, hear the culture, and even smell it.

"Look Jenny. Look at all this art. All around. Just look at it," Forrest said slowly. His eyes were wide and he walked uneasily as if he were overwhelmed; taking so much in.

Berlin was covered in artwork, as if every resident grabbed a paint brush and made the city their canvas. The city appeared to be covered in grimy graffiti displaying the rough and rugged state of Berlin at the time.

The Gump family spotted one particular cement wall that was covered in the grimiest graffiti, displaying strong emotions.

"Jenny, will you take a picture of me in front of this art wall right here?" Forrest asked kindly.

"Of course! Go stand in front of it Forrest."

Forrest stood with his arms straight down to the side; he was used to doing that due to his time in the war. He didn't smile, but he looked pleasant like he was in good spirits. Jenny's mouth was smiling, the camera right in front of her eyes. The suspense of waiting for her to focus the camera correctly and then _click_ the button was intense; she was not very good.

Just as Jenny's finger had been pushed down halfway, a huge _BOOM_ was heard. The top right corner of that particular slab of the wall was hit by a giant machine. The basketball sized concrete chunk began to fall as if it was all in slow motion. Jenny's eyes widened just as Forrest Jr.'s did.

Jenny yelled, "Run Forrest Run!" but just as he had heard, _BAM_! The concrete slab thudded harshly right on his head. The camera clicked instantaneously.

"Oh my god. Forrest!" Jenny screamed as Forrest and Jenny sprinted to him. He was lying on the ground. Jenny tried to move his limbs, he was not awake. Others on the scene rushed over. A nice Berlin woman call the Berlin ambulance.

Soon enough, Jenny, unconscious Forrest, and Forrest Jr. were flashing red and blue lights, driving away.

. . .

"It's the exact year of 1989. We went to Berlin a month ago. I was hit in the head by some type of wall they like to call The _Berlin_ Wall. Apparently it was separating East and West Berlin. Separating lots of families. They were knocking it down. Getting rid o' it. I had a concussion for almost two weeks. Doctors said it hit a soft part of my head. I'm awake now and I feel good. I wasn't expecting that. You know mama always said, _Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you gonna get. _Turns out, since I was won the Medal of Honor for the Vietnam War and all, President Bush invited us to the Vietnam Memorial to meet him. It was a big deal that I was hit in the head with this concrete slab, since I was a U.S. soldier who won a Medal of Honor. It was in the newspapers and everything. I think that's how the President of the United States found out maybe. We need to leave now. Signed, Forrest. Forrest Gump."

At the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., Forrest, Jenny, and Forrest Jr. all dressed up. Forrest was in uniform, since he was meeting President Bush. Forrest Jr. loved the memorial because he could see himself in the black, shiny, reflection of the wall with all the names on it. A man in a black suit escorted the Gump family to a side building by the memorial. Standing in the first door was President Bush. Forrest went up to him, shook his hand, and said, "Thanks for having us President Bush." Jenny smiled and hugged the president.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your accident in Berlin. We wanted you and your family to come in and make a couple of statements about the accident, since you did win the Medal of Honor, people know you and would like to hear." President Bush said professionally with a constant smile. "Let's start with you Forrest Jr. How did you feel when your daddy was hit by the wall? Were you scared?"

Forrest Jr. looked at him like he would any man on the street and said, "Uhh….I gotta' pee." Laughter in the room broke out.

_Stupid is as Stupid Does. _


End file.
